Orange Elementary is incorporated within the Waterloo Public Schools. And yet what surprised me when I drove up to the school was the fact that it was in a rural setting. The school was built in 1914 and once housed high school students.

Barbara Dierksen was my host and she was very excited - excited for her students who hadn't met a real live author until today. The gym was large and its age reminded me of the gym in "Hoosiers". The students filed in and sat in the bleachers. One-half of the entire gym was full with kindergartners having to sit on the floor.

Because I was speaking to K-5, I started out addressing the younger students and the older students sat quietly until I finally called on them. During the 60-40 drill where my baseball infielders do what I call "happy toes" the whole audience got involved - stomping their feet on the wooden bleachers. The stomping sound echoed throughout the enclosed gym and I could feel my chest pounding from the loud banging noise.

But then when I raised my hand to continue the skit the students politely stopped. We had a great time and Mrs. Dierksen was quite pleased with the level of enthusiasm.

As I was about to leave two students asked if I wouldn't mind shaking their hands. Of course I was happy to extend my hand. As I walked out to my car, I overheard one student say to the other, "I'll never wash this hand again."

Today's journey was traveling on I-30W (Lincoln Highway) to Arcadia. Arcadia was once named Tip Top because a boulder on a peak just outside the small town that was placed by John Minchen is the dividing line between how the waters flow east and west and into which river. All waters west of the boulder flow into the Missouri River - the largest river in the United States. All waters east of the boulder flow into the Mississippi River.

I was to speak to three schools in Arcadia, Westside, and Vail and thus the name of the school district is Ar-We-Va. Rosemary Cameron was my guide and did an excellent job of getting students interested in the book. The students dressed in Little League uniforms and several teachers dressed in their baseball/softball uniforms. It made the shadow baseball skit that much more authentic and we certainly had ourselves a fun time.

What was amazing to me was the day before I spoke in a gym with hundreds of students overfilling half court. And today I was speaking to groups of 40 to 60 students. A student's gift holds no boundaries. It doesn't matter if a student is born into a rich family, financially strapped family, or the student attends a small farming community school or a thriving city school numbering students in the thousands. Each and every child is born with a special gift no matter what his/her situation is.

Rosemary suggested I eat at Dem Beanies Coffee House on Main Street in Arcadia. It was a great suggestion. For 6.25 I was offered two pork loin chops, fresh coleslaw, a heaping of mixed carrots/peas/beans, and steamed red potatoes. Ann Lander, the owner, sat down and talked to me. She said she had a story to tell about living out dreams. When she turned 18 and graduated from high school in Wausau, Wisconsin she purchased a one-way airline ticket to Hawaii and lived there until she met her husband who was in the Air Force. After he retired they moved to his home town in Arcadia.

Before leaving the diner, Ann offered me a piece of Shirley's cream cheese raisin pie and said that Shirley was the best pie maker in the state and was going to prove it by entering Shirley's pie in the state fair. After sampling the yummy filling I also became a believer.

After my visit, I stopped at Minchen's boulder and on this particular rainy day I have to admit my loyalty was tilting slightly westward toward Tip Top.

Jordan Creek Elementary is located off I-35 and George Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. George "Lefty" Mills who the parkway was named after was an honored chief political writer for the "Register" for nearly 30 years. He was also a pitcher in Marshalltown where the nickname stuck, and he got his start as a reporter traveling across Iowa writing about the places he visited. In many ways this blog can be considered a tribute to this well-respected reporter.

Jordan Creek Elementary was opened in 1992 and is the largest elementary school in the district with 770 students from PK-6.

I was scheduled to speak to grades 4-6. Betty Anderson, who had scheduled the event greeted me at the door. She said that the students were very excited to hear me speak and she, too, couldn't wait. She remarked, "You will find these students some of the best kids you'll ever want to meet."

Mrs. Anderson's words were comforting knowing that I had a busy schedule speaking this week.

What caught my immediate attention when I walked past the office were the parakeets housed in this elaborate habitat. It certainly was soothing watching the colorful birds frolicking without a care in the world.

Betty said that the students had a surprise for me. A piano was rolled into the gymnasium and a group of students gathered around their music teacher with big smiles plastered across their faces. Soon, half the gym was completely filled with eager students. And then after the assistant principal introduced me, the choir sang: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"... in perfect pitch. We then joined in song for the second verse as a collective group. It was such an inspirational tribute that I became energized wanting to give these students all the energy I had left to give.

Mrs. Anderson was correct. The level of enthusiasm in the gym was second to none. No matter what I did with the students who volunteered the audience cheered. The student who won the screaming contest cowered to his knees as he gave us his thunderous scream. When I offered my actor the X Games hat the students clapped in praise. The students even clapped when I showed them Erin's Team USA uniform.

I left Jordan Creek Elementarywith a lump in my throat because I was deeply touched by the students' kindness and deep appreciation. These young adults most certainly believed in dreams and were busy pursuing them.

When all we hear about in the news is how our children all falling behind the rest of the world in terms of educational performance, I suggest news commentators like Katie Couric of "CBS Evening" news and Barbara Walters of the "View" offer their viewers hope by touring Jordan Creek Elementary in West Des Moines, Iowa. I was glad I had had the opportunity to speak to these bright, young minds.

Jordan Creek teachers/students you have inspired me. "For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ballgame."

Students - keep swinging away to your future glory.

It was refreshing to speak to the students at Indian Hills, a middle school located in West Des Moines School district. Before I was to speak in the auditorium two band students set the stage lighting and the speaker system to my specific needs. The students were very thoughtful and considerate.

My host was Lindsey Aikin. She was so excited about the Principal Park book that she went out of her way by physically bringing several students to one of my Waukee speaking engagements to convince me to speak to her students. I spoke to the seventh grade group on the day they were to attend an Iowa Cubs game, so naturally they were pumped for baseball. Their enthusiasm and zest gave me the energy to stage an exciting presentation. We had some fine screamers and the volunteers I had called on just loved to perform on stage.

After my presentation the students asked me questions like: "What is my favorite pet?" "Is it hard to get a book published?" And "Is the story about Creeper and the glass eye real?"

Ms. Aikin took several pictures of me with the students and I was then asked to autograph books. Many of the students were interested in music, soccer, basketball, and hanging out with friends. I reassured the students that although this book was about baseball they'd enjoy it because this was a book about many of the same adventures they might have had like Fuji and my goal was to get them to start thinking about their own personal dreams - and their dream didn't have to be about baseball for them to enjoy reading the book.

Ms. Aikin is very passionate about teaching and her enthusiasm for the book and reading is why well over half of the students she mentors had purchased the Principal Park book. Ms Aikin enjoyed my visit and asked if I wouldn't mind making this an annual event.

I have to admit that I'd found a home at Indian Hills.

Fort Dodge is a blue-collar community and is located a few miles from US 20 approximately 1.5 hours northwest of Des Moines. Fort Dodge is known for its Gypsum which is quarried and manufactured into wallboard. Fort Dodge produces 75% of all of Iowa's Gypsum and the mineral is one of the most pure in the world. At one time the city was inhabited by 30,000 citizens however with factories moving overseas and the closing of the meat packaging plant Fort Dodge has seen 5000 residents move away to more promising jobs.

I was asked to speak at Fair Oaks and Phillips by Ann Halibur who is Fort Dodge Hy-Vee's marketing representative. Over 95% of the students I have spoken to have treated me almost as if I am a celebrity. And yet in Fort Dodge, I wasn't offered such luxuries. These were tough kids who were used to challenging authority.

When I started my speech saying to these kids that dreams do indeed come true, I was greeted with hisses and a few kids actually whistled as I spoke to try to distract me. But I hadn't spent the last three months talking to tens of thousands of students about living out dreams to be whistled off stage now.

I didn't take offense and I certainly wasn't intimidated. I was being challenged because these kids didn't see the light. All that they believed in their future was trucking or mining Gypsum salts. But they did have a future and I was there to inspire them to believe in their dreams. A gift knows no boundaries. A gift doesn't descriminate between rich, poor, or middle class or by race. But a gift does require risk-taking and this is what these children feared most of all - To take that risk and still fail. These students were comfortable with the status quo and here was this speaker encouraging them to dream big.

As educators what students seek most of all are real stories that can offer children guidance. Video games are a form of entertainment with very little substance, so when I offer students Erin's success story they're willing to listen because they begin to realize that dreams take effort on their part and all children are really asking for is a real shot and maybe then they'll buy into the program. To know that my daughter, Erin, who was bullied and picked on at the age of 8 and then by the age of 12 rose to such heights as to be an All Star Little League pitcher - this is real. I could have heard a pin drop when I then told these students about Erin now being in both Cooperstown and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

All children aspire for greatness. The problem is that most students need a mentor to help guide them along the way. I can't commit to 40,000 students but I can at least create that spark. It is within you students at Fort Dodge if you're willing to believe and commit to the dream that you have been given.

Park View is approximately 10 minutes from Eldridge and is a small town of approximately 2000 citizens. Neil Armstrong was built in 1975 and for a brick school built over 30 years ago I found it in remarkably good shape. The students were in high spirits and my two brave actors performed the Fuji-Dad skit like seasoned pros. Despite the lack of a PA system, these two remarkable students spoke with drama and vigor in their voices and were able to grab the audience's attention because of their skills.

After my speech, a teacher congratulated me and said that her son was in fourth grade and attended Ed White. She said that he came home excited and couldn't wait to read the Principal Park book. She said he had never wanted to read before that. She asked me to keep on speaking because I needed to encourage other children to read.

After quite a long journey in Iowa the teacher's encouragement did lift my spirits. I can only hope more students learn how important reading is in terms of building strong character skills that can be used later in life.

Thank you from a tired Ohio traveler.

I've been to over 60 plus schools in Iowa and it isn't every day I am initially greeted by a grill cook barbecuing chicken and hamburgers at the front of the school. In a show of appreciation for the teachers, PTA members were offering these teachers a free lunch - talk about your timing. I opted for the cheeseburger.

My host at Virgil Grissom was Amy Lamfers who had earned many merit badges along the way as a teacher at Virgil Grissom. The school is located about a half mile away from the Mississippi River west of Highway 67. The school's river charm conjured up notions of Tom Sawyer, one-room schoolhouses, and rafting at a leisurely pace on the Mighty Mississip'.

These students, though, loved their baseball and hitting a home run was more on their mind than catching bullfrogs. Still, I included fishing at Creeper's Pond because fat, juicy nightcrawlers, chicken liver, and camping out is still a pretty cool thing to do even in an age of text-messaging and face-booking.

I call on many volunteers when I speak to students because I want all children to have an opportunity to shine in front of their fellow classmates. However, I can't call on all students. This will naturally leave a few students frustrated when they aren't called on. I had one student lower his head and cry when he realized my speech had ended without his being called on. I pulled the young man aside to offer him my own personal attention and this worked until I had to shift my focus to a few new students who had additional questions to ask me.

When is enough enough? I have driven over 6000 miles in Iowa and have spoken to over 30,000 students and I never quite feel I have given enough to each student. I am sure my dilemma is a constant reminder to many teachers as well. I guess in the end this is what drives us all who are willing to give of our time to help our youth who cry out the loudest. And yet what concerns me the most are the students who refuse to ask for help because like one male student said today rings clear in the mindset of many boys: "Don't expect me to scream like a girl."

Schools today have turned to computers believing the computer can give more one-on-one attention time to students. Why is it we believe that technology is what is needed most to solve the ills of our society? Too much of our time already is shared with these impersonal devices.

I'll let you in on a little secret that my dad taught me. Have more moms and dads volunteer to take a kid to the ballgame. Nothing makes more of an impact on these kids than a little one-on-one time. I'll never forget Dad placing his massive hand on top of my head and reassuring me that like Pete Rose or Johnny Bench I could be anything I wanted to be in the good old U.S. of A just like Pete - Charlie Hustle. You know what, I still believe you, Dad.

Eldridge, Iowa is in the northen part of Iowa and North-Scott High School has aprroximately 1000 students. Eldridge is included as part of the Quad Cities. One bit of confusion I had was locating S Fifth street where Ed White is located. When you're on LeClaire St. coming in from Highway 61 you'll find Fourth and Sixth Street in proper sequence but S Fifth Street is past First Street. I made several attempts to find the phantom street to no avail. Finally, I had to call the school to locate Fifth Street and was told to find the "Big" stop sign and turn left - of course going past First Street. Whenever in doubt, I've learned to call the school's secretary.

My host for the morning session was Neala Arnold. Many of the students confessed their dream was to hit a home run at a major league stadium. I was a bit confused as to why so many students wanted to live out Fuji's dream. I guess - like skipping Fifth Street and placing in on the other side of First Street - sometimes there aren't easy answers. I hope reading about Fuji's dream will help these students believe in their own unqiue dreams.

I ate at Del's restaurant and enjoyed my California cheeseburger. The bun melted in my hands like the buns I remembered when I was a kid. Halfway through the sandwich I was down to tomato and hamburger patty but enjoyed the grease and mayo sliding on my fingertips. The nostalgia and charm of Del's where a group of diners had gathered to talk about current events was electrifying. I should have asked what the deal was about South Fifth Street? I'm sure I would have received many different responses. Del's is the central hub in Eldridge and like South Fifth Street is where truth and fiction lies somewhere in the middle.

Sunday was another sunny beautiful day in Iowa without much wind. Like scouts of old I was determined to find Buffalo Bill's homestead which was 20 minutes from I-80 and located on 230th Ave. and Bluff Road. The Cody Trail is well-marked but it does take a roadmap to get you back to the highway.

The first thing I noticed at Cody's Homestead was a simple log cabin near the entrance to the property. An inscription noted that Bill Cody and his sister attended a pre-school in a log cabin structure like this one, and Bill's trusty three-legged dog named "Skip" followed the young lad everywhere he went. As I drove up to the main house, I saw buffalo grazing on sweet green shoots that had recently sprouted. Bill Cody was nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" after shooting 4280 buffalo in 17 months for food during the civil war.

Isaac Cody - Bill's father - had moved his family from Cincinnati, Ohio to LeClaire in 1841. Bill had been born in a log cabin that overlooked the Mississippi River. The original log cabin had been moved to Cody, Wyoming and all that remained on the site was a marker located on highway 67 in LeClaire.

When Bill was one his father moved the family from LeClaire to the current site where the family lived for three years. The home was constructed of yellow limestone cut into blocks. The underground well water is very hard, so rain water was collected from walnut gutters into rain barrels because wealth during this era was measured by who claimed the whitest wash.

When you tour the house, you'll see the kitchen with a cornshuck broom hanging on the wall. The child's bed next to the kitchen is filled with straw. As you climb the upstair's steps you'll notice the deep indentations in the walnut steps from years of use. There is a middle bedroom with a rope bed and a cylindrical tool to tighten the bed strings. This is where the popular phrase "Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite" originated from.

There is a sewing room, victorian bedroom, ladies' parlor used for greeting lady neighbors and where women sipped tea and gossiped, a downstair's parlor for the men, and a pioneer parlor and small organ used for entertaining guests. The men would use the Galena day bed to rest after lunch and a hard morning of working in the fields.

In 1883, Buffalo Bill started his Wild West show when he was 37 years of age and it lasted for 30 years. One of his final shows was in the summer of 1911 and was held in Davenport. Dime novels written by Ned Buntline were highly sought after during Buffalo Bill's era. Buffalo Bill had a son named Kit Carson Cody but unfortunately passed away at the age of 7 of scarlet fever. In 1917, Buffalo Bill passed away at the age of 70 and is buried in the city of Golden, Colorado.

Buffalo Bill's legacy of the Wild West will remain and Iowa should consider itself proud to have such a historic figure a part of its prominence.

I had some free time and decided to hop in the car and drive north on highway 61 to Eldridge, Iowa. Six miles from Eldridge was Scott Park. With the weather sunny and warm, I opted to hike the trails. Then I saw some dead elm trees, mayflowers, and Jack-in-the-Pulpits. I veered from the trail to hunt down the elusive morel mushroom. This time of year is when the grey sponge is replaced by the yellow sponge. Both wild mushrooms coated in egg batter and seasoned in peppered flour and then fried in olive oil make an excellent appetizer. For over an hour I hunted but alas came up empty-handed. I did catch a glimpse of a blue jay, which renewed my spirits that spring had indeed finally arrived.

I followed the signs to Walnut Grove Pioneer Village. The crown jewel of the historic village was St. Ann's Church built in 1852. The white clapboard church had a cross on its tall steeple and beautiful stained glass windows. Next, I explored the village cobbler and leather harness maker's shop with its many leather soles and old-fashioned granny shoes.

Butler #2 one-room schoolhouse sat next to the leather shop. The school was built in 1875 and what I found of interest was that the school with its ancient desks and goose-feathered quills and ink bowls was used as a school up until 1965. An ornate pot belly stove sat in the middle hallway and a glazed crock pot with a metal spout must have at one time held cool well water for the kids to drink out of after recess. The dunce cap was also a nice touch along with chalked multiplication tables on one of the many blackboards.

It was noted that Sam Cody - Buffalo Bill's brother - had fallen from his horse and had died tragically. His gravesite was in Long Grove.

There was so much to see at Walnut Grove. There was a blacksmith shop that had been managed by the Ehler's family from 1860 up until the mid-50s. There was a post office, genral store, Tobin's 1837 log cabin that had been re-located from Long Grove. In addition, an original CB&Q train caboose along with the "Ox", a 22-ton locomotive. Walnut Grove Savings bank built in the late 1800s with authentic 1890 teller windows and walk in safe looked the same as the day it was used.

Additional storefronts were the Walnut Grove Firehouse, Bison Saloon where a sleeping bed was 25 cents. There was a barber shop where a haircut was 25 cents, a bath 15 cents, and a shave 15 cents. The doctor's office also had a dentist's chair. In small towns, the doctor also served as the dentist.

Finally, what I had found interesting was a 1926 Model T. An old photo showed some carpenters who had taken the rubber wheel off the rear of the car and had mounted a long belt to its right rim. They used the motor power of the car to cut logs for building materials.

I suggest you stop at Pioneer Village and sample root beer from the original soda shop and have yourself a hamburger and lounge away the day during a defining moment in America's history.

You can't get more north in Iowa than Spirit Lake, which borders Minnesota and is part of a chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes. Spirit Lake was originally inhabited by the Dakotah tribe and French traders - who'd settled there - coined the name "Spirit Lake" after an Indian legend of an evil spirit that haunted the lake. Spirit Lake is the county seat for Dickinson County and is a growing community.

My contact from the school was Sarah DeWild. Like most Iowans, she is very proud of her charming lake community and as a gesture of good will offered me an informational package and coupons from the local shops. The weather turned sunny so we decided to walk over to the SAMI center for the performing arts where I was to speak. I was impressed with the multi-million dollar faciility that was only two years old. The stage was immaculate and was as large as a high school basketball gym. Our shadow baseball game was received with many laughs. My crew improvised their own scenes. One middle school student took my rubber eye and plopped down so hard on her bottom that the rubber ball bounced off the stage. I thought it was lost forever. But a considerate student three it back to me.

The students at Spirit Lake were ready to have fun and boy did we have fun. I actually had my own sound/lighting engineer adjusting the volume/lighting as needed. The lights glowed with such intensity I couldn't really see the packed house in front of me. I have to adimit I was a bit taken back when one of the students said that his dream was to become a hostage negotiator. I had to wonder how one prepares for such a career.

Preparations were underway for the spring walleye run. If I didn't have to travel to North-Scott I'd have liked to stay. There's nothing better than smoked walleye. If you ever find yourself traveling through Iowa you don't want to miss Spirit Lake and the fun-loving townies whose secret is now out. There are no haunting spirits at Spirit Lake, only spirited children who have the luxury of living by and fishing in such a pristine lake.

After a five-hour drive and brief road trip spent in Minnesota, I headed south on highway 86 and found Northland Inn Motel which was in between Lake Park and Spirit Lake where I was to speak.

The next morning I drove toward Lake Park and was comforted by a digital sign outside Lake Park's Middle School that read: "Welcome Dr. Paul Mullen - Author." I've seen such school signs welcoming me many times now but I am still tickled by the nice friendly gesture.

I spoke to 150 K-5 students. I had the best umpire. I'd call him a reincarnation of Harry Karry without the wide-brimmed glasses. "Cubs win! Cubs win!" Every time a dispute was raised by a rather boisterous runner who actually head-dived on a hard gymnasium floor in his attempt to beat the forced double play, my young Harry rang up the batter to allow my skit to go by flawlessly.

My over ambitious batter did redeem himself though when I asked him what was the best bait to use to catch a catfish. With the wisdom of the old man in the sea, he said, "Chicken livers." I am always impressed by students who live in farming communities away from the bustling city crowds. I do feel that children in the country gain a better appreciation of the earth and what it has to offer at such a tender age.

My host, Deb Morrow, gave me a tour of the school which was once the high school. There was plenty of room for many more elementary students and I hope that parents will relocate to the charming community of Lake Park where their children will learn what I learned long ago: That chicken liver left in the hot sun to get ripe and really smelly does indeed catch the biggest catfish.

The night before I was speak to the students at Delhi Elementary I drove an additional 12 miles east on highway 20 toward Dyersville because Karen George graciously offered me the use of her Downtown B&B in Dyersville during my two-day stay.

While Karen tidied up a bit, I chose to run a few miles on Beckman's all-weather track. I couldn't recall where the burst of energy had come from but I ran two miles with the ease of a tortoise running against a hare. The clouds overhead darkened and years of living in the Midwest gave me a clue that a storm was definitely brewing. I hobbled back to the B&B. Karen quickly gave me a tour of the house where the crew from Field of Dreams had once stayed. The first place she showed me was the basement because word had quickly spread about a tornado heading this way. It wasn't five minutes before Karen had left and then the tornado warning alarm blared and an eerie stillness took hold. I galloped down to the basement and a rumbling roar of fallen tree limbs gave me a clue that formidable winds battered the brick structure.

I thought to myself: "Great! I've come all this way to get caught in a tornado." Then the electricity shut down and I was cloaked in darkness.

I could almost hear Hannibal slurping behind me saying, "It was good of you to come, Clarice. Slurrrp!"

However, mercifully the tornado didn't have a lock on the house and the electricity turned on. I bid Hannibal ado and slumbered back up to the cozy room that Karen had decorated like one of those Better Homes and Gardens pictures.

The next evening I was invited to speak to the Delhi Elementary Parents at Parents' Night. Becky Willey had done an excellent job with her door prize giveaways and newsletter to the parents to try to gain awareness of the literacy event. However, the Maquoketa high school track meet and poor weather conditions caused a lower than expected turn out.

It is difficult to speak to a light crowd of 10 parents and 12 children. The children suddenly become very reserved and my speech draws on the children's enthusiasm. I mustered all my enthusiasm to put on a good show despite the quiet peeps I received from the few volunteers I dragged up to the front.

I was finally able to break the silence and even noticed reserved smile on parents' faces when I read about Creeper and his glass eye. Unveiling Erin's Team USA uniform at the end drew claps of appreciation - and yet the dismal weather had like the evening before dampened the enthusiasm.

I was then given another chance to redeem myself when I was invited back to the elementary school on Tuesday to speak to the K-5 students about the art of writing. The children this time had come to life and with it lots of enthusiasm - like riding a bike as they say. We had created our own fictional story with each student having an opportunity to add their own unique pizazz to the story.

Becky said it was amazing. Students who rarely volunteer had astonishingly shown excitement and contributed their bit to our group story. The story was about a boy who gets in a fight with his sister and is disciplined by his mother, who cares for her ten children. Our main character and his buddy slip away. They catch a 5 pound lake trout and the youngster surprises his mother with the fish, which she graciously cooks up for supper.

I then talked to grades 3-5 and we developed a rather interesting sentence about Captain Hook and his dying just as he falls from a cliff. As I headed west toward Spirit Lake, I felt the reading mission had been accomplished in Delhi. The sun had actually slipped through the few remaining rain clouds.

Note from the owner of Field of Dreams:
dr. mullen,what lovely sentiments of your visit here to the field of dreams movie site. thank you for writing about us, and we do hope you will have the opportunity to visit again one day.

Becky Lansing Field of Dreams Movie Site
www.fodmoviesite.com
info@fodmoviesite.com

Dyersville's Field of Dreams article
I have now logged over 7000 miles in Iowa and have spoken to well over 30,000 students. And yet, somehow I've eluded one of Iowa's most cherished baseball fields.

However, this time because of the generosity of Bill & Karen George, owners of Uptown B&B in Dyersville, I find myself only three miles away from the immortal field. It was time for me to drive the three extra miles to Dyersville East Road and turn right on Lansing Road to offer tribute to Iowa's most beloved ball diamond.

When I arrived at the field and crossed over the bridge the homestead was just as I remembered it from the 1989 movie. The grass was a lucious green, the infield had faded red dirt, the farmhouse was pristine with white clapboards, there was that indelible porch swing tucked under a wraparound porch, and a white-washed picket fence in front, serving as a reminder of what was once good could become good again.

I opted to have a seat on the wooden bleachers on the third base side. A storm from the west loomed and dark thunderstorm clouds approached. Students from a local community college were playing a pickup game on the field. Wind whistled through a stand of majestic pine trees. A songbird chirped in its effort to re-unite with its mate. Fertile soil as black as peat had recently been sown in seed. Soon, corn shoots would sprout and provide a towering backdrop just as sturdy as a home run wall. The spirits of immortal ball players like Shoeless Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig would emerge from the swaying field of healthy stalks to play a baseball game like yesterday of old in the traditional sense, as the game was intended to be played.

I could almost smell charcoal briquets, grilled hot dogs skewering, freshly squeezed lemonade, and movie theater popcorn handed out to the fans in brown-waxed lunch bags for a dime each bag.

A crack of a bat, fans rising to their feet, an overzealous runner trying to stretch a double into a triple, a gallant throw from the right fielder, a hush in the stadium as the ump waits for the dust to settle to make the call. "Safe! Safe!"

Over 65,000 loyal baseball fans make this pilgrimage annually to Dyersville's Field of Dreams. In their quest, fathers/sons - mothers/daughters find a way to make amends through a game called "catch". Where else can one find such an idylic setting that invites each of us to dream our own unique dream?

Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa - a bastion that serves as our final frontier. Where close-knit communities and gold-domed county courthouses remind us of what once was decent and whole can and will return again.

I had to rise at 4:30 in the morning if I was going to make it in time to speak to the students at Nodland and Sunnyside, which is over 3 hours north and west of Des Moines. Sioux City has a population of approximately 140,000 people. It has been named twice as an All-American City. Lewis and Clark documented their travels west through the region in 1804. I was impressed by all the modern structures being built in Sioux City. The city has a fabulous mall and I couldn't resist a deep-fried chicken sandwich at Chick Fil A located in the food court.

I was greeted at Nodland by both my host, Staci Page, and her principal, Mrs. Hess. Nodland is one of the newest schools built in Sioux City and was built to showcase the district's most modern school to new arrivals. The K-2 students were a bit hesitant upon seeing me. In fact one of the students reported to me that his friend thought I was the devil.

Once I asked for volunteers the students warmed up to me and then shouted with enthusiasm over Creeper and his glass eye. None of youngsters could quite figure out how I got Creeper's eye in the bag.

Staci escorted me over to Sunnyside to speak to grades 3-5. Staci volunteered her daughter to read from the book and at the end of my speech introduced me to her athletic son. Staci is very involved in the school district having been elected PTA president and much of her time is spent between baseball practice, hockey practice, gymnastics, and gaining support/interest of the parents in the school district. I have to commend Staci for placing her three children in the school district she teaches. It shows how proud she is of Sioux City's school district.

A controversy erupted over best screamer when the girls cheered for their favorite female screamer and the boys cheered for their favorite male screamer. I was booed by the boys for selecting the girl. I quickly doused the issue when I began talking about slimy fish, smelly chicken livers, and wiggly nightcrawlers. Boys love such gory details.
In the end I was able to make amends to the boys when I closed the assembly talking about baseball and living out dreams. I had a swell time and I think the many shouts of joy and laughter meant the kids had fun, too.

I have to admit I didn't sleep much the night before I was to speak at Ankeny's Parkview Middle School. Parkview is the largest middle school in Iowa boasting 1250 sixth and seventh graders. In addition, middle school students are a hard audience to reach especially with me trying to inspire them to live out their dreams. Most teenagers have already experienced a few let downs in their lives and I was out to re-inspire them to use their gifts to become successful leaders.

Mike Nieland greeted me at the door. Mr. Nieland had everything already planned including the room which was used as a study hall. It was quite intimidating seeing such a large empty room the size of many country schools' gyms that I had already visited. The plan was to speak to approximately 300 students in four one hour sessions.

Mr. Nieland and I had many of the same shared values. Like me, Mike grew up loving baseball in his home town of Dubuque. He said at one time Dubuque was a mecca for baseball. Mike also has a passion for teaching excellence having been a teacher for over 30 years. Mike helped ease my anxiety through his terrific support. He'd have fit in nicely with our gang and no doubt we had already shared many of the same baseball adventures.

I was amazed when I asked the first set of seventh grade students for volunteers for a game of shadow baseball that nearly 200 hands were raised. And the students I had selected jumped up and cheered in their excitement. We had so much fun and gelled so well that the hour passed by quickly.

I called on all four groups to use their special gifts that such a prestigious school district like Ankeny offered them in terms of academic excellence to become the leaders of tomorrow. The room fell silent when I began to read Jordan Saddoris's essay on Your American Dream. Jordan is a seventh grader at Parkview and chose to enter my Iowa writing contest. Jordan wrote: "I think that America stands for everyone's dream coming together and making a magnificent society that anyone can thrive in. Small towns grow into big cities, a family owned business turns into an international corporation, a Scottish immigrant who comes to America with nothing and dies a billionaire. All of these show that your American Dream is out there alive and well; now you just have to find the way to achieve it."

Through Jordan's inspirational words the students from Parkview learned that hope and dreams come through individual achievement and because of their fortunate situations opportunites - at least for many of them - were unlimited.

It is my hope that these students will find it in their heart to share such wealth with others not so fortunate.

Marsha Kerper made good on her commitment to the students at Madison. She promised to throw out the first pitch at an Iowa Cubs game if her students read collectively 160,000 minutes as a group exercise in one month.

Prior to the game between the Isotopes and the I-Cubs, over 200 parents and students were rewarded to delicious tacos in Madison's cafeteria in celebration of the event. In addition, Madison used special funds to purchase tickets for students from grades 3-5 and their parents to attend the game free of charge. The school purchased copies of my Principal Park book for these same students which complemented the literacy event nicely.

The excitement and anticipation for the star pitcher from Madison was such it didn't take much for me to jumpstart the students about the importance of living out their dreams. I also wore my baseball uniform just like most of all the other attendees who wore Cubs uniforms. After my speech, I had a mother hold me and tell me that my speech moved her to tears. She had been trying her best to encourage her daughter to strive to do her best and she felt my speech helped to confirm her same message.

While Mrs. Kerper was whisked away to the stadium, I stayed behind at Madison to talk to parents about strategies they could use in setting purposeful goals for their children. By the time I arrived at the stadium, Mrs. Kerper had already thrown out the first pitch and she was quite pleased with her bullet strike. She had hoped I could have joined her; however in truth this was her moment for her students and while I'd have loved to have thrown out a first pitch, this was Mrs. Kerper's moment to shine to the delight of her deserved students/readers.

I enjoyed the game except for the lopsided score in favor of the Isotopes. Like most fans, I took advantage of the dollar hot dogs. Principal Park is a beautiful stadium and one that more Des Moines residences should take advantage of. Where can you go for dollar hot dogs? Promotional tickets of one dollar and even regular priced tickets of 4 or 5 dollars? A family of four could have a nice time at the game for a lot less than going to an amusement park and the I-Cubs are currently in first place. I give Mr. Bernabe credit for offering so much for such a little price to I-Cubs fans.

At 8:00 p.m. we loaded the two buses and I said my fond farewells to a great group. On my way out to my car I couldn't help but notice the many metal trailers surrounding the school including the many low-income brick dwellings. At least this night these students and parents were given a first-class glimpse of the American dream. All any of us want is to share in the wealth of this great nation and to feel a sense of normalcy - which is what we can share in together at a baseball park. What I saw at Madison were proud Americans willing to try hard and these proud citizens counted on these skilled teachers to help teach their children how to help better themselves through education - not a hand out per se, rather a boost up just like immigrants before them had received.

While driving on Sunday to Greenfield which is approximately an hour and forty-five minutes southwest of Des Moines, I struggled to keep my Honda Civic from being blown into on-coming traffic on SR 92. Wind gusts were reported at over 40 miles an hour. From my stay in Iowa, I knew why Iowa is one of the states leading the nation in harnessing wind energy.

I was struck by the rolling meadows and the black dirt which would soon be planted in corn for ethanol - another fuel product that Iowa excels at producing. Gas prices are usually 15 to 20 cents cheaper in Iowa because of its bio-fuel processing centers.

I was to stay upstairs in one of two rooms at the local optometrist's Greenfield office. When I arrived at the eye doctor's office, I was somewhat surprised because the door was left open and on a small table was an envelope with a key inside of it for me. I climbed the stairs and found a charming room that even included its own restroom. It was already nice and cozy and so after getting my things I needed from the car I decided to explore on foot the town of Greenfield. The courthouse - which is Adair's county seat - was located in the middle square. The town was situated in traditional Lancaster style which means cars enter and access the town's local businesses on one of four corners and the more traveled streets via the mid-block of what I call a square within a square - which is very rare and only a few towns today are still structured in this traditional fashion. Parking was free and because it was Sunday the town was desolate with a few hardy bikers smoking just outside the local bar.

I was amazed to find a screen printer in one of the red-brick buildings and the opera house and "Old Hotel" caught my attention. I stopped near a cement bench by the red-brick hotel and read the metal plaque: "In memory of Hugh Sidey and hundreds of Adair County men who left from the Greenfield Hotel steps to serve around the world in WWII."

I found out from Dan Dickinson who was like the town's historian as well as my guide during my visit to Nodaway schools that Hugh Sidey's family owned the local newspaper, which is still printed today under "Adair County Free Press". Hugh was a local legend and one of the town's most famous citizens having been a "Time" reporter covering the White House and U.S. presidents for nearly a half century.

In between my speaking engagements, Dan Dickinson gave me a tour of the 1896 E.E. Warren Opera House that Yvonne Schildberg purchased and donated to the town. The Opera House had fallen on disrepair and Dan and several local residents were busy raising money to restore the turret style opera house to its original lavishly styled luster. In addition, Dan had Lee Ann Nelson give me a personal tour of the Iowa Aviation Museum and we toured the only Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame wing in Iowa. The museum houses a 1928 Curtiss Robin and is the oldest Robin known to exist. As well, the museum has a restored 1941 Aetna-Timm which was built in 1941 and as one of only six models, this Aetna-Timm is now the only one of its kind. There are many other planes at the museum and these were the planes that Schildberg collected throughout his life. His brother, Dennis, was an avid collector of classic corvettes, corvairs, and antique Chevrolets. His personal car collection is located near the town square. The Schildberg family owns 20 limestone quarries.

My time with the students was both exciting and fun. Over 30% of the students purchased a Principal Park book which made me realize that dreams still flourish in Bridgewater, Fontanelle, and Greenfield. I should also take note that Norman Lear found Greenfield charming have produced "Cold Turkey" which starred Dick Van Dyke, Jean Stapleton and Bob Newhart in the 1969 Hollywood movie.

When you visit Greenfield you will discover a charming community that holds on to its lure of yesteryear while finding itself struggling financially during this economic downturn. In each of us is the desire to remain immortal through our life's work/passions and I have to believe this is why the Schildberg's were such avid collectors. I have to believe this is why Dan Dickinson is so passionate about restoring the old opera house, too. I hope Dan succeeds but I already know that in my book he has already succeeded through his 33 years of teaching children who call him "Mr. D."

Thank you Mr. D. and the community of Greenfield for the hidden jewels the world should come discover in your tiny nook of Iowa.

After a few days off and a much needed return to see my family in Ohio, I was back on the road to Knoxville, Iowa - birthplace of the Iowa Flag and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum. The Knoxville Sprint Car Championship Cup Series was just a few weeks away from starting its new season.

My first stop was to the Middle School where I met Mr. McNeill. The students were just a few days away from state testing and Mr. McNeill believed my message would help inspire his students to perform their best on their required tests. I was placed in the auditorium that was decorated with props for a high school drama performance. The couch, throw rug, and antique furniture was a nice touch even though it hadn't been prepared for my speech. The auditorium was filled to capacity even though Mr. McNeill had told me that student enrollment was down nearly 70 students from previous years. I started off asking the students their dreams and one young lady was certain she'd become a judge and one young man was also certain he'd become a manager after graduating from college.

What seemed to attract these students most was my candid talk on my daughter and I's troubled relationship when Erin was their age. I let the students know that it was up to them to talk openly with parents about when they needed a parent's support and when they were ready to try it alone. The students gave me a riveting applause at the end of my speech and so I hope I helped inspire them to further their success in education.

When I reached East Elementary, I met Jeanne McCombs. She was reading a book to kindergarten students in her library and the students were enthralled with the story of a young girl who was in search of where she had last placed her library book.

A few minutes before my speech I was met by Mr. Montgomery (Mr. M is what the students call him) and he then told me the surprising news. Mrs. McCombs and he had raised enough money to purchase each family in their school one of my books. Mr. Montgomery is a seasoned professional and yet I could sense from him how proud he was - as he should be - of this remarkable accomplishment.

Before my speech, I informed Mrs. McCombs that she should let the students know about the town's gift to them after my speech. It was after my speech that Mrs. McCombs tried forcing out the words but struggled through tears of joy. When she told the students that I was going to personally autograph all 170 books the students cheered. I noticed Mr. M. standing by the door and I could see this pillar of a man fighting back his own emotions. I realized then how important this moment was for Mr. Montgomery and Mrs. McCombs and in many respects what may have been a turning point for these students in terms of appreciation for the gift they were going to receive.

I just dropped off the three boxes of signed books and it was Mr. Montgomery who met me at the door. The students had a day off but there stood Mr. Montgomery no doubt waiting on me to drop off the books. He said that over and over again the students said to him, "East Elementary is the best school ever."

I thanked the principal and said, "If only we could find a way to sustain the children's enthusiasm through high school?"

It wasn't easy for the principal respond to such a wishful thought.

I can only hope that the East Elementary students take their gift and learn what Fuji learned long ago: That a gift should never be taken lightly. And it is up to each of us to return our gift someday for the betterment of all in time.

Thank you Mr. M and Mrs. McCombs whose heartfelt joy inspired in all of us that their indeed exist champions in educational excellence.

I have to admit I was excited about visiting Paul Norton. After hearing favorable reviews from other Bettendorf schools regarding my visit, I'd been told that the group I'd be presenting to was also very excited about my visit. Lindsay Connor had made the arrangements for my speech and she was a little nervous having so many students gathered in one collective group. I assured her that the students would have fun and this seemed to ease her concerns.

As promised the students were very enthusiastic and highly charged from the baseball skit and Creeper's Glass Eye reading. One fifth-grader asked me who was my favorite baseball player?

When I told him Pete Rose.

He responded, "How can you admire a player who bet on baseball?"

Students aren't afraid to ask the tough question. And yet, most students can only perceive of our world as either black or white. So I responded in this way: "When I was young, we'd nicknamed Pete Rose as 'Charlie Hustle' because Pete would always strive to turn a single into a double. He'd always go for the extra base and gave one hundred percent. As a young boy living in a lower class neighborhood in the 'burbs' near Cincinnati we also knew that Pete was once considered an average player and had it not been for his heart and determination he may have never become an All-Star player.

"While I can't agree with Mr. Rose betting on baseball, I can look back and remember Pete for his exceptional grit and determination to succeeed in a game I've always loved to both watch and play. Pete gave us hope despite the tremendous odds against us, and so this is why I admire him for what he has done for the game of baseball and me and the gang - who like him - will always strive to stretch a single into a double."

After my speech to the K-2 students, I shook hands and gave students high-fives wishing them well. One young boy squirmed in anger in the arms of his teacher. When I asked the student what was wrong he said, "You never asked me what about my dream?"

Unfortunately, I have so many students raise their hands when I ask them to come to the front to confess to their fellow students their dreams that I can't fit them all in. So some students are left disappointed when I don't call on them.

So I took the disappointed boy to the side and asked him to sit next to me on a bench. His teacher placed him beside me. He sat their stiff and rigid and refused to make eye contact with me until I said, "I knew your dream is very special and so I've made sure you have my personal attention now to tell me your dream."

The anger flushed from the yongster's body and his smile returned. He proceeded to tell me his dream and all was soon forgiven. His teacher thanked me and he gladly walked back to his classroom with her.

In a recent article in the Des Moines Register I was called the "Dream Doctor" and in many respects perhaps this is a role I'm willing to take on to help children realize that dreams can and do come true. It is why I am right now writing a picture book to appeal to K-2 students, so that way even if I can't call on them one by one from the audience that my words of hope will still reach each of them in the form of an inspirational book I call "My Birthday Wish".

Thank you, Lindsay and Paul Norton. I hope your anticipation of my visit was as rewarding to you in the end as it was to me.

I have to admit that I was excited to visit Neil Armstrong, a school that was built in 2007. Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio and was the first astronaut to step foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong is also noted for his ...one step for mankind speech...upon taking his first step on the lunar surface. And yet, I admire Armstrong most for his willingness to give back to Ohio through his teaching career at the University of Cincinnati and his willingness to remain a fellow Ohioan despite his celebrity status.

It should come as no surprise that when I asked the students at Neil Armstrong what were their dreams? The responses I received were as follows:
"I want to be the first astronaut to walk on Mars."
"I want to ride in a rocket."
"I want to fly!"
"I want to fly my own UFO spaceship."

I think Armstrong would be touched by these students' responses - by his contribution to Nasa's space program and how he has sparked the interest of these children decades after his moon walk in the exploration of space.

I want to thank Melody Gustas and Mr. Hatfield for their exceptional support of my visit. As great an honor it was for me to speak at Neil Armstrong, what I will remember most regarding my visit are the poignant responses from the students like: "Dr. Mullen. I had a dream but it didn't come true."

So I asked the young girl what was her dream? She responded, "I dreamed that my dad would spend time with me over the weekend but he didn't."

I also heard from another student: "How do you believe in a dream?"

We are a nation of creativity and tremendous potential to do well. Forty years ago, we were the first nation to walk on the moon. And yet our most important mission heeds our calling: To inspire our youth in the belief with hard work and dedication that dreams can and do indeed come true.

I've never seen the blue earth from a spaceship. But what I have seen are tears and disappointment in the sad faces of children who've lost hope in us. A child's smile means more to me than the beauty of space. It is the children who I fight for so they can dream the dream.

So how I dream is by reaching out and giving back to one student, one school, one state at a time. This is how I dream and why I believe in the goodness of our children.

Jefferson is a quaint school near a nice park. It is a smaller school that gives it a more personal touch. My host was Sarah Hampton who went out of her way to accommodate me. The gym was small but it fit the students well for its class size. The children were quite excited especially when I mentioned Sound Author's writing contest which gained their immediate attention when they heard the winner would be interviewed on live national radio.

I found the students highly gifted in art. When we read from the Dad/Fuji scene, the young lady who played Dad gave us her "man voice" and captured Dad's raw anger from his son's poor performance/attitude on the playing field. I was tickled by her skill to grip her fellow students with such raw emotion.

If you ever get a chance to stay in the Quad Cities and have children 8 years old or younger, I recommend you take them to the Family Museum located in Bettendorf near the public library off Middle Road and 18th Street. Some of their special displays are Amazing Acres where children can touch a 10-foot tornado. Children can also travel through a 14-foot human heart, interact with themed play houses or paint or scavenger hunt. The museum always has special guests who perform magic, sing, and entertain. The museum also has dance lessons for all age groups. So if you want to spark your child's curiosity or explore their interests, I recommend you visit the indoor Family Museum.

I'm just a few days away from a needed spring break. I've been on the road living in some pretty shabby hotels/motels communing with bugs and stale cigarette smoke leaching in my room in my desperate attempt to save up enough money for the 1000 books for the book give away at Principal Park.

My final stop before traveling back home to Oxford, Ohio for a brief rest is Bettendorf to talk to 5 of their elementary schools. The locals refer to this part of Iowa as the Quad Cities, which represent Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois. The Mississippi River divides the two states.

Most hotel rooms go for over 100 dollars a night in Bettendorf, but I found a motel for under 35 dollars and the old adage is certainly true: "You get what you pay for."

Grantwood

My first speaking engagement was at Grantwood. Most of Bettendorf's schools are within a few miles of each other and the goal is to keep the schools below 400 students. Grantwood is a small school that offers each student a personal touch. I spoke to the students in the library. The students sat on carpeted benches while I spoke to them about the meaning of a do-over. One student was insisted that he'd play in the NBA and he was off to a good start in terms of his height advantage over all other 5th grade students. I had a pleasant time and my host, Chris Iossi, ensured all went well.

Mark Twain

I don't know why - call it my own humble beginnings - but I found my visit at Mark Twain similar to my visit at Brubaker in Des Moines. Beth Campbell was a key reason. She was very excited to have me there and made me feel special in so many ways. The kids were highly charged, wanting to excel, and it just felt like I had a lot in common with these students. A speaker does indeed feed off the excitement level of his/her audience.

What was most touching was when I asked one first-grader what her special dream was. She told me with confidence, "To become a singer."

I thought I'd have some fun with her by asking her, "Would you like to sing for us?" I have never had a taker for this brave feat until now.

The first-grader smiled and shook her head up and down. I placed the microphone to her mouth and out came one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. She reminded me of the one young girl in "August Rush" who sang at the Spring Concert in the Park. I often talk to students about living out their dreams and here was this gifted child with the voice of an angel singing her poignant song of hope.

I was honored by her lovely voice and praise can't describe my true thoughts over the inspiration this young girl has given me.

Van Meter which is 10 minutes west of Des Moines and one mile south of I-80 borders the Raccoon River. Van Meter is Bob Feller's home town where this baseball Hall of Fame legend would play a game of catch with his father between the red barn built in 1886 and the farm house he still calls home.

In an article written by Hoffman, the journalist writes about the seventeen year old "Rapid Robert" and how his 100-mile-per-hour fast ball struck out 15 batters to give the Cleveland Indians a victory over the St. Louis Browns and then Feller went on to pitch 17 strike outs against the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, no other pitcher besides Dizzy Dean had been such a formidable force.

Bob Feller's memories including many of his precious sports memorabilia are now on display for the public to view in Van Meter. One noted item that Dennis reports is the Babe Ruth bat that Babe leaned on when he said good-bye to his beloved fans at Yankee Stadium in 1948.

It shouldn't come as any surprise when I stopped at the local Casey's before my speech the first thing I noticed on the glass entryway door was a bold sign: "No wearing of any [baseball] cleats allowed."

It was a cloudy overcast morning and the air was breezy and cold and spitting a few snowflakes. The parking lot was jammed pack because the secondary and primary school are interconnected. When I finally figured out which door to enter, my host, Shannon Miller, greeted me. Shannon has fiery red hair and I just assumed she was Irish or Scottish. She was very excited to see me and because Van Meter is a baseball town she said the kids had been fired up for days.

During my speech, I was offered the privilege of being the first to use the brand new cordless microphone in the old gym. I was particularly impressed with the athletic prowess of these students and had to wonder if there was something in the water that gave them their extra athletic boost. Even the seventh and eighth grade students were excited to play a game of shadow baseball and we were having so much fun that I extended the skit trying to throw them off guard as to what my next move would be. I had met quite a wholesome group of students who were polite and courteous and certainly appreciative of my offering. In fact when I asked for questions only the ladies offered up a few to delay going back to class. However, when I told the boys that whoever raised their hand first with a question for me would receive a free X Games hat you should have seen the boys' hands fly up in the air.

It was quite a treat to talk to these students. When Feller was asked if he could relive his most memorable moment what would it be? He said, "Playing a game of catch with his dad."

I had to wonder if Feller's response was where "Field of Dreams" had gotten its idea for one of its most famous scenes. I had to wonder how many of these young, gifted students might be fortunate enough to have their own museum or memorabilia on display at Bob Feller's museum.

One thing for sure though, Van Meter, Iowa is a place you can call home.

Garton Elementary has over 500 students in grades K-5. The school had been built in 1958 but recent renovations gave it the apperance of a new school.

Jaynette Rittman was my host and is an affable principal with a kind and caring face. I could tell right away that she was committed to her students in the way she'd hoped to find funding to give my book to each student because she believed the book offered her students hope and the will to dream big.

While preparing for my speech, I was surprised to find out that a young lady had painted me a mural of my baseball book. The artist was very shy and yet she braved my glowing praise for her masterpiece. Mrs. Rittman made sure to snap a few pictures of me and the student in front of her painting. I promised the artist that I would send a copy of the photo to Chris O'Leary who illustrated my book cover. I knew Chris would also feel honored by this student's rendering of the cover he'd conceived.

The two presentations went well and we certainly had fun. I felt extra motivated by having Mrs. Rittman in attendance. Creeper and his glass eye completely mesmerized these students. I must have pulled out of my pocket an original glass eye that is used in wax museums for life-like figurines at least a dozen times as proof that the glass eye was indeed real.

A few more book orders had come in during my speeches and Mrs. Rittman asked if I wouldn't mind staying to autograph these new orders. Then, Mrs. Rittman did something that was truly touching. She gave the school's library copy of my book to the artist as a gift and asked if I wouldn't mind writing a few words of inspiration in the book for her glowing pupil. I have to admit that I never get writer's block, but I was trying so hard to convey the right message that I stumbled over what to write. Then I looked into the young girl's eyes which were bold with anticipation and the words just naturally flowed. I needed to show my appreciation of this young girl's gift in a more personal way. So I asked her if she wouldn't mind my giving her hug as a thank you. She said that was fine, but because she was shy she braved through my hug. Still, I felt her yearning - the same sort of yearning all artists feel in using their gift to move us in ways we might have never known.

You - young lady - are definitely a talented artist. You've moved me. Now find a way soon to move a tumultuous world that needs your gift of compassion and understanding.

I've often heard you can't go back again. However, on my way to E 42nd Street in Des Moines I drove past ranch home after ranch home with the same style of backyards that my brothers and I often played our pickup games on in the suburbs of Cincinnati.

E 42nd Street was a middle class neighborhood that put me back in time and these kids were kids I had much in common - rough, loud, full of love, full of emotion, and certainly never a dull moment.

Cathryn Lang waited for me at 7:30 in the morning with her cart knowing I'd be carrying props and signed books. We headed quickly to Hoyt Middle School through a maze of hallways. Emily Arnold who was instrumental in getting all sixth-graders a copy of my book followed along with us. Double doors opened to a spacious auditorium. The stage had been prepared for my speech and the microphone was already humming.

The students piled in and we enjoyed a game of shadow baseball with much laughter in between. What even caused me to pause was the silence and attention I received talking about Erin and her baseball Hall of Fame success. I've found during this book tour that I've been able to reach the older students by explaining Erin's hardships while also letting them know how my daughter was able to push through in living out her dream. Students don't want sugar-coated, water-downed stories; students today want real, genuine stories with emotional meaning. With the age of the IPOD and MP3 player, it's nice to know that a good, old-fashoned success story is still of interest to middle school students.

After a thunderous applause I stood there in awe and felt so appreciative. But there wasn't time to bask in the glory, because I had to speak to the elementary students next. I met Mr. Lord, Brubaker's school principal, and he'd dawned his Chicago White Sox uniform with pride. He ushered students in and out of the cafeteria/stage room with the precision of a New York City policeman directing traffic.

I called on several volunteers to discuss their dreams and one bright student said, "I am going to hold the world record for yo-yoing ten yo-yos all at once on my ten fingers. The room fell silent when I talked about Creeper and his magic glass eye, which stole the show. I noticed several students closing their eyes to collect their fears.

I spoke to the gifted students at 11:00 a.m. and I explained to them through example how to create detailed, colorful sentences. We had fun partnering in teams. I am hopeful that several of these talented writers enter the Iowa writing contest because I saw some promising writers in the bunch.

Near the end of school day, I was asked to get more books out of my car and I heard over and over again, "Mom! I just got to have Dr. Mullen's book!"

I was then mugged by a crowd of enthusiastic students waiting for the bus. It was then I recalled what it was like living in the moment through these children's eyes.

They say you can never go back. Not true! My time to shine happened at Hoyt & Brubaker.

Thank you.

I had to take a northern detour from where I was staying in Des Moines to Humboldt, Iowa to speak to the students at Mease and Taft Elementary. Humboldt is twenty minutes north of Fort Dodge and can be reached on US 169 North. A nicely etched granite rock welcomes you to Humboldt. As I crossed over the Des Moines River, I saw two hearty fishermen braving the white-capped rapids and fishing for what I assumed were brown river trout.

My host was George Bruder who greeted me at Mease. We instantly became close friends having lived similar lives. He came from a large family and was born in 1960 in January, and I was born in 1960 in March. George wore a colorful baseball tie, and his enthusiasm for baseball got the kids excited about my visit. When he recalled Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan of the "Big Red Machine" I was certainly impressed.

The students certainly enjoyed themselves and even after our assembly I was having students tugging at my sleeve and wanting to tell me their most precious dream. The young lady who won the screaming contest became so frightened when she gripped Creeper's eyeball in the concealed bag that she was too afraid to scream.

At Taft we filled the middle school auditorium with grades 2-5. The students certainly enjoyed a game of "shadow baseball". The students cheered when I unveiled Erin's Team USA uniform.

George invited me to dinner at the local diner with his family and we were so engrossed in our conversation that when the food was finally served we had just seven minutes to "wolf it down" because parents were waiting our return. It reminded me of my days spent in the military where we had just five minutes to eat our breakfast before early morning marching drills.

We had a good representation at Parents Night and there were some terrific baseball door prizes offered to the attendees. After speaking for roughly 40 minutes I answered questions about writing and the book. After patiently waiting in the front row, I had a three-year-old raise her hand. I decided to give her her opportunity to chime in. She asked me, "When do you go bye-bye?"

I laughed and took this as my cue to say my final farewell to Humboldt.

I had heard that Harry Reasoner - co-host of "60 Minutes" - was a Humboldt native. In fact in 1972, Andy Rooney and Reasoner had created an ABC-TV documentary titled "A Small Town in Iowa." The story focused on the demise of Humboldt because of its youth leaving their small town in search of high-paying jobs in cities like Des Moines.

Thirty-seven years have passed and as I toured the small town of Humboldt I still saw it as a vibrant, thriving community with proud citizens appreciative of small-town farm living. In fact, George nudged me to write about Humboldt's new family aquatic center. What makes America unique are small towns like Humboldt, and I firmly believe that what makes the United States the place where dreams can still come true are these charming communities that have found their niche in our society.

Keep the dream alive Humboldt.

After dodging the Des Moines rush hour traffic I turned on a quiet road and my spirits were renewed when I noticed baseball fields and stacked bats at the entryway to the stellar park. River Woods is surprisingly out in the open and doesn't appear as if it is a city school. The previous week, the Harlem Globetrotters had visited River Woods and I-Hops had donated breakfast for the students. Pancakes, spinning basketballs and the Harlem Globetrotters - I had a daunting task ahead of me if I were to compete with such a formidable force of basketball celebrities.

Mrs. Lorentzen greeted me and was pleased with the number of book orders she had received. My chief source of revenue are book sales, and I receive zero sponsorship dollars for my travel expenses. So I was pleased that Mrs. Lorentzen had taken the time out of her busy schedule to help me in my pursuit of raising money for free books to be given away at Principal Park.

Our first challenge was in the lunchroom. The tables and chairs were in the way. The janitor and I had just 15 minutes to move all 20 tables and stack a few hundred chairs to the sides. It was a good thing we had completed the task in time because the K-2 students had arrived and I had about one feet from my audience to where I stood to speak. The closeness didn't seem to bother the students. We had fun and one young lady's dream stood out: She said, "My dream is to one day live in a mansion." After my speech was over this same young lady came up to me and said, "I wasn't telling you a joke. My dream IS to one day live in a mansion."

By the time I was complete at River Woods, I had just 30 minutes to drive back to the city for my next speaking engagement at Carver. Carver Elementary is impressive. It appears like a corporate headquarters and the Boys and Girls Club is attached to the school. The entryway to the school is open and airy and brings in warm sunlight.

Betty Wolfe greeted me and assisted me with my things to the new gym, which is as large as any high school gym. There were so many students for the first speech that we filled half the court. The students were so excited by being able to confess their dreams that I had difficulty sometimes speaking over the rush of noise. But when I began reading about Creeper and his magic glass eye, all the attention focused back on me.

What impressed me about Mrs. Wolfe is that she stayed for both speeches and I once glanced over her way and saw her holding one young student with the same care she might hold her own child. I was comforted by her compassion for her students.

I'm usually not biased when it comes to handing out free hats, but this one young man screamed with such intensity for the free X Games hat that when he was callled on to scream again he had lost his voice. Still my young actor persisted through a tiny squeal, twirled, and giggled uncontrollably with joy upon receipt of his hat.

I have been offered such a rare gift by so many students and teachers. However, sometimes these touching moments aren't direct. Sometimes the moment comes after my speech. I opened the large envelope that contained the book money along with special sayings I was supposed to autograph for the many students' books. The bundled five and one dollar bills along with the jingling of nearly twenty dollars worth of coins rendered me speechless because it wasn't too hard to figure out that this money was money students had saved up no doubt from weekly allowances.

Over and over again students have asked me: "Are you famous? Are you rich?"

I clutched the precious, tattered one dollar bills - with some five dollar bills having been taped or folded over and over again to fit in the slot of a piggy bank - and I thought about the students' favorite saying and finally breathed out, "Yes, I am famous. Yes, I am rich. At least in your eyes I am...."

Thank you River Woods and Carver for giving me your best and brightest.

Indianola is about a half hour south of Des Moines and can be reached by the I-5 bypass. Indianola is home to Simpson College and the National Balloon Museum and Ballooning Hall of Fame which receives 24,000 visitors a year.

When I arrived at Emerson in the afternoon, students were playing outside in the sunshine. My host was Mrs. Burris who wore her two daughters' softball uniforms. Mrs. Burris was excited by my visit and a bit nervous in trying to prepare for the speaking engagement.

I was introduced by Mr. Timmerman, the school principal, who was young in terms of managing a school of nearly 500 students. I found Mr. Timmerman a seasoned veteran, pleasant, and certainly caring for the students. The students were dressed in just about every Major League baseball uniform you can imagine. And the first student I called on wore a Cincinnati Reds uniform - which might have shown my biasness. Most of the dreams from the students centered around baseball and I have to admit I had some stellar athletes who performed the shadow baseball drill well.

The roar from the crow during the Art of the Scream contest for the student who won the X Games hat had to be because I'd chosen one of the more popular students from the group. I had an enjoyable visit and this was just the trip I needed to prepare myself for visiting over 1200 students the next day in Des Moines.

When I arrived at Jefferson the parking lot was filled to capacity. Because it was close to six p.m. I assumed there was a sporting event going on. As soon as I arrived at the school, I noticed the cafeteria was full with Scouts and other students wearing baseball uniforms. The children were nibbling on hot dogs and chips.

“You must be Dr. Mullen,” I heard behind my back. “I’m Melanie Schroeder.”

I turned around to greet Melanie who was wearing a Cubs outfit. My Parents Night coordinator helped me with my things and showed me where I was to speak. I was to speak on a sunken stage with descending, green-carpeted stairsteps where students were to sit for my presentation.

As I was preparing for the speech, Melanie informed me: “We have over a 145 confirmed reservations, another 35 more confirmations, and just today over 20 more. In all, 200 parents/students have signed up to hear your speech tonight. This is the most we’ve ever had for one of these events.“

I then quickly deduced that the filled parking lot of cars, filled cafeteria of hot-dog loving students and parents had come specifically to hear me speak. I usually don’t get nervous, but I felt a quick surge of apprehension rising on the back of my neck. The reason why is because this was the first time I’d be speaking in front of such a large group of parents. I’d get a feel tonight on how my speech would be received by the parents at Jefferson.

The room quickly filled; the lights flashed on and off and suddenly all eyes were on the presenter. All went well including the “Art of the Scream” which received a joyous applause from the parents. But what touched me most was when I revealed my daughter, Erin’s, Team USA uniform to the audience. The crowd erupted in applause. It was then I knew my daughter and I’s story touched them in a positive way. The Iowa Cubs offered tickets to the Cubs game and I was asked to pick from the hat for the two lucky winners.

After the presentation, Melanie asked if I had time to sign a few more books at the parents’ request. Of course, I agreed.

After bringing a bagful of books back with me to the stage I was overwhelmed with warmth. Parents and children waited patiently in a line that snaked outside the auditorium door. I felt as if I had arrived.

One father who had two daughters in softball took pictures of me with his athletic girls and said proudly, “I hope my two girls can bring home a championship ring for me like Erin did for you.”

Another parent said, “I am having my daughter look Erin’s name up on the Internet so she can be inspired by all of Erin’s accomplishments.”

Several parents thanked me for sacrificing my time away from my family and farm to help inspire Iowa’s children to dream big. Over and over I heard compliments about my speech and how my message was right on track and what children today need to hear.

Thank you Jefferson. You have inspired me with your warmth and I now know that Iowa’s parents do believe that every child – including their children and even possibly they themselves – dream of greatness.

My days spent in Dubuque have gone well. My energy level was a bit peaked but I knew that Laura Oberfoell and the students at Hoover Elementary were expecting a big show.

Mrs. Oberfoell ushered me into the gym and asked if I wouldn't mind having individual pictures taken with the students who'd purchased a book.

Of course I didn't mind.

Mrs. Oberfoell who goes by "Mrs. O" organized the books by classes with such efficiency that she reminded me of a professional card dealershuffling a poker hand at Diamond Joe's. Both speeches went well and what was most interesting was a young boy who came up to me after the show and asked if he could have my autograph.

When I heartily agreed, the student pulled out a folded picture he had illustrated with care and asked me to sign his pencil sketch in the extreme left hand side. I signed his drawing as directed and then he folded his picture and placed it in his notebook. All was right in his world. Here was this author who gave him a memento to hold on to.

This young man's story is similar to several other stories I came across while in Dubuque. "We just never know," said the sister I had met at the Abbey, "what that one special favor you do for someone else that might just be the thing he or she needs to take hold of and just may change his or her life for the better."

Man the phones, Sister, you just never know who might need your loving hand.

Thank you Dubuque for all you have given me.